Pooja Hegde: Success in south gave me power to select films

Strange are the ways of destiny. In 2016, after having done a few Tamil and Telugu films, Pooja Hegde hoped to make a splash in Bollywood with Mohenjo Daro. While her maiden Hindi film bit the dust, Hegde switched gears and went on to find success in the south movie industry. Call it fate or what you may, but today, her command over the Telugu language has enabled her to be a part of one of the biggest Hindi films of the year, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (KKBKKJ). "They needed a Telugu-speaking girl for the film," she exclaims.

Hegde's decade-long career is built on several Telugu hits, including Maharshi (2019) and Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo (2020), with a smattering of Hindi movies. The actor acknowledges that the south film industry empowered her early on in her career. "It wasn't that I wasn't getting work here. But I was getting better work in south. So, I made that choice. The south Indian audience gave me so much love. Now, slowly, the audiences in the north have started showering love on me. But the fact is that my success in the south industry gave me the power to select films here, and say no to [projects]."

After being part of big commercial entertainers down south, director Farhad Samji's action drama feels like a natural progression for the actor. Couple that with the opportunity to share screen space with Salman Khan, and it's a win-win proposition. "Since it's a Salman Khan film, you know it will reach the masses. It's not just about doing a big film; it's also about having an integral role. The best way to connect with the masses is to be seen in such films, and I hope it helps me when I want to tell a story of my own." Working with Khan was everything she had hoped for. While the superstar is known to be intimidating to his co-stars, Hegde says he has earned the tag because of his "brutal honesty". "If you realise he is being honest with you, it makes things easier," she smiles.

Also Read: 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan' Trailer: Salman Khan, Pooja Hegde's film is a heady mix of power, violence and romance